Scott Bowden presents Kentucky Fried Rasslin

Although he’d wrestled for years, with runs in the Memphis, Southeastern and Stampede territories, and later had big-money feuds with Hulk Hogan both in the AWA and the WWF, “Dr. D” David Schultz didn’t make huge headlines until the infamous slap heard ’round the World Wrestling Federation, when the good doctor struck “20/20” TV news magazine reporter John Stossel across both ears in late December 1984, allegedly causing permanent damage…and emotionally scarring co-host Barbara Walters for life.

At the time of the incident, Stossel was doing an “exposé” on how wrestling in predetermined (shocking, I know) and how it was “faked”-the most memorable moment being disgruntled ex-wrestler Eddy “Continental Lover” Mansfield getting juice (i.e., blading, cutting his forehead) to reveal how wrestlers bleed in matches. Schultz, who later claimed that Vince McMahon implied that he wanted Dr. D to physically intimidate the reporter (“blast him”), was eventually fired for the Former Fed shortly after a lawsuit was filed by Stossel, who later settled out of court with Vince’s lawyers  for $425,000. Some speculate that Dr. D was really fired for challenging Mr. T to a fight backstage as part of a ploy to work his way into the main event at the first WrestleMania.

Schultz bounced around several promotions after that and even had a NWA World title bout with Ric Flair in the months that followed. He even returned to Memphis for a few bouts in 1985 as the tag partner of Randy “Macho Man” Savage, who had recently turned heel to feud with Jerry Lawler over the Southern title. Needless to say, Dr. D’s first promo back in the area was memorable, diagnosing Lawler as having a contagious life-threatening disease, which is why no one wants to be the King’s tag partner. (His wardrobe choice certainly does him no favors as well.) Savage also cracks me up in this clip, crowing about being “the Southern heavyweight champion of THE WORLD.”